I was sent a soft copy of this book from the author, Aishah Adams. The White Elephant is a book that prepares one for their marriage. The author has used her own experience as well as knowledge from her education and training in public health, crisis intervention and disaster management, and life coaching.
The book is divided into useful titles starting from before to if God forbid if someone reaches the stage of divorce, how someone can cope up. There were a lot of thought-provoking messages in this book that is essential for anyone in search of a potential spouse. I like how the author has stated different types of question one can ask the person they are planning to get married to. In addition, the author has done her best to provide the real picture of a married life.
Though as much as I had enjoyed several chapters of this book, there were times I felt the author had narrowed her vision to only her marriage and generalised it. I was frequently disagreeing with the author at several instances like for instance when the author advises new couples from not choosing to live with the in-laws. I understand that the author has had a terrible experience with her in-laws but I have also seen many instances where the women were able to grow in their career because their mother n law was kind enough to look after their children while they worked.
When I had started reading this book, from the introduction it felt like it is a book for both Muslim men and women but when I read further it was only focused on females. It would have been good if there had been advice in this book for Muslim men as well.
All in all, the book could be read by Muslim women who are about to get married or in a difficult phase of their marriage. Though, I’d really recommend that this book should be read with an open mind because not every advice might be suitable for your situation. The personal experiences of different married women included in the form of the interview at the end of the book is a bonus for the readers. There is a lot to learn from them.
The book is divided into useful titles starting from before to if God forbid if someone reaches the stage of divorce, how someone can cope up. There were a lot of thought-provoking messages in this book that is essential for anyone in search of a potential spouse. I like how the author has stated different types of question one can ask the person they are planning to get married to. In addition, the author has done her best to provide the real picture of a married life.
Though as much as I had enjoyed several chapters of this book, there were times I felt the author had narrowed her vision to only her marriage and generalised it. I was frequently disagreeing with the author at several instances like for instance when the author advises new couples from not choosing to live with the in-laws. I understand that the author has had a terrible experience with her in-laws but I have also seen many instances where the women were able to grow in their career because their mother n law was kind enough to look after their children while they worked.
When I had started reading this book, from the introduction it felt like it is a book for both Muslim men and women but when I read further it was only focused on females. It would have been good if there had been advice in this book for Muslim men as well.
All in all, the book could be read by Muslim women who are about to get married or in a difficult phase of their marriage. Though, I’d really recommend that this book should be read with an open mind because not every advice might be suitable for your situation. The personal experiences of different married women included in the form of the interview at the end of the book is a bonus for the readers. There is a lot to learn from them.
Tags: book review, The White Elephant, Aishah Adams, self-help books